ŹOOĻ arrived and dazzled with strong performances, fancy choreography, and a lot of attitude for their first live show LIVE LEGACY “APOŹ”.
“ŹOOĻ LIVE LEGACY “APOŹ”” was held for two days on February 18 and 19, 2023, at the Musashino Forest Sports Plaza Main Arena in Tokyo.
While TRIGGER, IDOLiSH7 and Re:vale had already held one-man live shows before, this was the first time ŹOOĻ headlined its own live show.
And it started with a bang.
The opening was led by percussion that reverberated throughout the venue, setting the tone for what would end up being a memorable live show.
Dancers stepped perfectly in time with the rhythm.
As anticipation grew among the fans, the four members of ŹOOĻ appeared, and kicked off the show with their latest song “Utopia“.
Their performance was reminiscent of the visuals from “Black or White Live Showdown“, with black jackets, a fearless attitude, and a giant dragon was projected on the screen using augmented reality (AR) technology.
“The day has finally arrived! I’m so happy we can perform live… just like how Haruka would say it” said Hirose, who plays the role of Haruka.
Then, Kimura, who plays the role of Touma, added, “You guys were looking forward to this, right!?” while the rest of the members responded enthusiastically.
After that first MC moment, the group was back to performing, this time to the passionate dance tune “RIDING“, new song included in their 1st EP “Źenit“.
When Kimura asked the audience to clap their hands, the venue was filled with a pleasant sense of unity.
During “LOOK AT…“, the stage was dyed red, and the concert took on a rock festival-like atmosphere. Fans’ hands also gained strength in response to their passion.
With momentum building up, they showcased some dance moves alongside their dancers during “Survivor“.
“It’s showtime!” – With these words from Hirose, the performance of “Poisonous Gangster” began, a reproduction of the 13th episode of IDOLiSH7 Third BEAT!.
Wearing their outfits from the “einsatZ” jacket visual, the four members returned to the stage and threw provocative looks at the fans, just like they did when they first debuted.
“IMPERIAL CHAIN“, which was used as the ending theme for the second cour of IDOLiSH7 Third BEAT!, kicked off and impressed with its aggressive lyrics and mysterious melody.
During the performance, a cameraman climbed onto the stage and captured dynamic footage that was projected on the full screen.
In addition to this, the show also incorporated the use of drones for filming, which was generously utilized throughout the two days of live shows.
I’m pretty sure it’ll be even more impressive when the time comes for this live show to, eventually, be released on BD and DVD (something that is yet to be announced, but expected).
In “Insomnia“, one of the highlights in the recently released EP, the composer ☆Taku Takahashi (mflo, block.fm) joined the group on stage behind the turntable.
After that, even after ŹOOĻ disappeared from the stage for a costume change, ☆Taku Takahashi continued to raise the fans’ tension with remixes of ZOOL’s solo songs.
The darkness in the venue was short-lived.
The four members returned to the stage in live show’s key visual outfits, riding a light green classic Impala car. Kondo sat in the driver’s seat, calmly gripping the steering wheel showing a cool vibe.
As the ringtone sounded, fans sensed the start of “Sasagero -You Are Mine-“, and the excitement in the audience reached a new high.
Day 2 featured different lines from the original version, catching many fans by surprise while further captivating others.
“Let’s continue to enjoy the second half” Nishiyama declared in his Minami-like manner, marking the midway point of the live show. The second half featured different setlists for both days, including duet songs.
On DAY1, Yuya Hirose and Koutaro Nishiyama captured fans’ hearts with their performance of “Unbalance Shadow“, a gentle mid-tempo ballad with surprising choreography that involved lying down while singing.
Meanwhile, on DAY 2, Subaru Kimura and Takashi Kondo showcased their wild vocals with “Drift driving“, perfectly suited to the classic car on stage.
The next three songs were performed live by a mysterious band wearing black hoods, who captivated fans with their overwhelming performance.
Then, the four members appeared in their signature jackets to perform “BLACK TIGER“, raising their fists to create a sense of unity in the audience.
During “SUNRIZE“, fans naturally imitated the dance moves, and the members expressed their gratitude for the fans’ response during the MC session.
Towards the end of the main set, they delivered two upbeat tunes in quick succession.
The first was the high-energy “NEVER LOSE, MY RULE“. The powerful lyrics conveyed ŹOOĻ’s firm determination to continue growing.
The final regular performance was “Bang! Bang! Bang!“, song that ŹOOĻ sang for the first time at BLACK OR WHITE.
They sang one of their fast-paced songs from their discography, leaving behind a stage on fire.
During the encore, ŹOOĻ appeared before their fans in casual live T-shirts and responded to their fans’ anticipation for their singing of “ZONE OF OVERLAP“.
Hirose said, “I’m really happy to be here with the four of us as ŹOOĻ. We’re grateful to Haruka for his help and for being able to sing in front of everyone. Ryo-san, are you watching!? We did a solo live! Isn’t it amazing!?” and conveyed words of gratitude to their fellow members and fans, as well as to Ryo Tsukumo, an important figure for ŹOOĻ.
The audience responded with a huge round of applause.
Wrapping up the live performances, the group performed “No Sacrifice“, a song expressing their willingness to keep running without fear, the concert ended with a flourish.
Setlist
DAY 1 (18/02/2023)
1 - Utopia 2 - RIDING 3 - LOOK AT... 4 - Survivor 5 - Poisonous Gangster 6 - IMPERIAL CHAIN 7 - 4-ROAR 8 - Insomnia [feat. ☆Taku Takahashi （m-flo, block.fm）] 9 - ササゲロ -You Are Mine 10 - Murky Oath 11 - Unbalance Shadow / Haruka (CV: Yuya Hirose), Minami (CV: Koutaro Nishiyama) 12 - BLACK TIGER 13 - SUNRIZE 14 - NEVER LOSE, MY RULE 15 - Bang!Bang!Bang! <ENCORE> 16 - ZONE OF OVERLAP 17 - No Sacrifice
DAY 2 (19/02/2023)
1 - Utopia 2 - RIDING 3 - LOOK AT... 4 - Survivor 5 - Poisonous Gangster 6 - IMPERIAL CHAIN 7 - 4-ROAR 8 - Insomnia [feat. ☆Taku Takahashi （m-flo, block.fm）] 9 - ササゲロ -You Are Mine 10 - Ache 11 - Drift driving / Touma (CV: Subaru Kimura), Torao (CV: Takashi Kondo) 12 - BLACK TIGER 13 - SUNRIZE 14 - NEVER LOSE, MY RULE 15 - Bang!Bang!Bang! <ENCORE> 16 - ZONE OF OVERLAP 17 - No Sacrifice
About ŹOOĻ
ŹOOĻ consists of Touma (CV: Subaru Kimura), Haruka (CV: Yuya Hirose), Torao (CV: Takashi Kondo) and Minami (CV: Koutaro Nishiyama).
The group is part of the IDOLiSH7 franchise. In 2022, the group released their 1st EP “Źenit”.
Official photos were kindly provided by Lantis.
